• A new LGBTQ+ forum is now being trialed and there have been changes made to the Support and Advice forum. To read more about these updates, click here.
  • Hey Trainers! Be sure to check out Corsola Beach, our newest section on the forums, in partnership with our friends at Corsola Cove! At the Beach, you can discuss the competitive side of the games, post your favorite Pokemon memes, and connect with other Pokemon creators!
  • Due to the recent changes with Twitter's API, it is no longer possible for Bulbagarden forum users to login via their Twitter account. If you signed up to Bulbagarden via Twitter and do not have another way to login, please contact us here with your Twitter username so that we can get you sorted.

Controversial opinions

It's so funny to me how they decided that making her into a ''Dragon Master in training'' in a region with only 3 lines of Dragon-types. And they actually negated her from getting a Deino and a Druddigon. And to top it all off, Axew was the disaster that it was.

I know the B2W2 dex did expand on that more, but they weren't gonna give her legendaries.
 
Yeah I wish they approached iris differently in the BW anime. Maybe make her a gym leader-in training and have her arc revolve around the training and challenges she has to undergo to get that title, with the climax occurring with her certification exam or something. And of course, more dragons. I agree with everyone else - Emolga probably could have went to Cilan. Even if they must have her possess non-dragon Pokémon, at least make the team make sense imo. Hydreigon was right there, Axew could’ve had a full arc as well.
This is absolutely how I wish their approach with her was.
 
Yeah I wish they approached iris differently in the BW anime. Maybe make her a gym leader-in training and have her arc revolve around the training and challenges she has to undergo to get that title, with the climax occurring with her certification exam or something. And of course, more dragons. I agree with everyone else - Emolga probably could have went to Cilan. Even if they must have her possess non-dragon Pokémon, at least make the team make sense imo. Hydreigon was right there, Axew could’ve had a full arc as well.
Hell, for 89 episodes, she only had one Dragon type. A weak, barely trained Dragon type that only knew 3 attacks, only two of which were good (technically 4, but let's be honest, Outrage doesn't count; Axew only used it once in the entire time it was on-screen as an Axew, and it only used Giga Impact twice anyway.)
 
Last edited:
Iris could've also gotten an Archen, which while not Dragon-type is still very dragonlike (like Aerodactyl, Archen's line tends to be used as a sort of pseudo-dragon by Dragon-type specialists. Including Iris's own Game counterpart) and can even learn a couple of Dragon-type attacks completely naturally, so it would've fit her rather nicely. It really is sad that there actually were a handful of options for good captures for Iris despite the limited BW dex... and the writers still managed to restrict her team to a ridiculous degree.
 
Iris could've also gotten an Archen, which while not Dragon-type is still very dragonlike (like Aerodactyl, Archen's line tends to be used as a sort of pseudo-dragon by Dragon-type specialists. Including Iris's own Game counterpart) and can even learn a couple of Dragon-type attacks completely naturally, so Iris really should have gotten one of those. Along with the aforementioned Druddigon and Deino.
Iris was even surprised/impressed by Archen's Dragonbreath move in "Archeops in the Modern World!"
 
Yes, yes it was. It was verrry contrived. And again, it was only used once.
I was very upset, since until that moment Luke's Gobitto was beating the living daylights out of Kibago.
Then, it unbelievably learns Outrage and turns the tables so easily.....

Not helped by that I really wanted Satoshi to battle Luke, for some reason.....
And when that episode starts, it seemed that it would happen......

Iris defeating Satoshi was another thing that I hated.
However; not out of bias towards the latter, but how she reached the final instead.
I felt that she didn't deserve to be there due to the Deus ex Machina.

Until that episode I was neutral towards Iris, even liking some of her scenes.
But that battle put an end to it, afterwards I never cared about anything she did.
 
Last edited:
Axew learning Outrage out of nowhere just to give Iris the victory is a prime example of a deus ex machina. It only learned the move so that Iris could get to the finals. I don't think her battle with Emolga was particularly good either, especially when its own disobedient behavior was pretty easily resolved, but Axew learning an overpowered move out of nowhere to give the illusion that Iris was a better battler than she actually was really made me mad. After she won the tournament, I believe she said that those feathers were proof of how hard she's been working or something along those lines, but I didn't buy it for a second. Nothing about that first tournament was building up to Iris winning it and if they really wanted Iris to win, they could have actually made Axew useful as opposed to just giving it a sudden power up. Axew was always annoying since they really couldn't decide on what it wanted to be. Sometimes it was the cute useless baby Pokemon, but sometimes they wanted it to be the powerful secondary mascot of the series. Trying to do both didn't work at all.

This is a big reason why I can't really give Iris credit for being more into battling than the following female leads. Her battles were just terrible and often full of undeserved victories. Her last battle against Georgia, her supposed rival, was due Dragonite battling on its own. Even Georgia admitted that she lost to Dragonite, not to Iris. They were trying so hard to make her into this special gifted battler when it just didn't work with what was actually shown. No one would have believed that Iris won nearly one hundred battles in a row before officially becoming a trainer given that she couldn't really train Axew and had no real interest in doing so.
 
I don't think her battle with Emolga was particularly good either, especially when its own disobedient behavior was pretty easily resolved
Emolga’s problem was mostly laziness, and I remember Iris giving her a pep talk before battling Stephan (if this is the one you’re talking about), so I buy her cooperating. The strategy used in the battle was solid too, and one of the few times Iris successfully thought on her feet without some holy light shining down on her.
 
Emolga’s problem was mostly laziness, and I remember Iris giving her a pep talk before battling Stephan (if this is the one you’re talking about), so I buy her cooperating. The strategy used in the battle was solid too, and one of the few times Iris successfully thought on her feet without some holy light shining down on her.
That was the battle I was referring to. Ironically enough, I couldn't think of Stephan's name. Emolga's behavior seemed more like just regular disobedience rather than laziness to me, especially when Iris telling Emolga to listen to her hadn't really helped before. It wasn't quite like the problems with Excadrill or Dragonite, but it still felt a bit too easy or quick for Iris to just tell Emolga to listen to her for this battle and have that actually work. I haven't seen the battle in awhile, but I remember not really liking it. I think it had less to due with the strategy and more like Emolga took too much damage for it to win out in the end. It still probably wasn't one of Iris' worse battles or their attempts to make her this special gifted trainer, but it still didn't do much for me.
 
A lot of Pokémon Youtube channels are garbage. So many of them do nothing but bitch and moan about every single announcement leading up to the release of a game because every since Dexit that seems to be what attracts viewers. But then they buy the game anyway and beg you to watch them stream it. :rolleyes:
late reply, but honestly while it's been a bit since i've actually Looked at poketubers, my main issue with them is that most of them just feel so, so generic. enter the unown and pikasprey are pretty good, though. there was another guy who i occasionally watched their old top 10 videos but without getting into it. those sure are gone now.
 
I think Excadrill should have been switched with a Druddigon (why was she given that anyway; Excadrill hadn't even been established yet as a fan favorite competitive monster in VGC), but kept the same plotline with the 99 victories, being ashamed/embarrassed to battle Iris, learning Focus Blast as a ranged option, being Iris' main battler for half the series, etc. That way, it would be more in line with her goal and passions; an uncommon and somewhat unsightly Pokémon would also get some neat screen-time. Hydreigon could come later as a replacement for Dragonite, or she could have caught a Zweilous prior to Dragonite. This way, she at least has the few non-Legendary Dragons of her region to her name by the end of her saga.
 
I think Excadrill should have been switched with a Druddigon (why was she given that anyway; Excadrill hadn't even been established yet as a fan favorite competitive monster in VGC), but kept the same plotline with the 99 victories, being ashamed/embarrassed to battle Iris, learning Focus Blast as a ranged option, being Iris' main battler for half the series, etc. That way, it would be more in line with her goal and passions; an uncommon and somewhat unsightly Pokémon would also get some neat screen-time. Hydreigon could come later as a replacement for Dragonite, or she could have caught a Zweilous prior to Dragonite. This way, she at least has the few non-Legendary Dragons of her region to her name by the end of her saga.
I'm remembering a younger Iris meeting and healing an injured Druddigon in a flashback of BW136 so they probably could've gave her that Druddigon.
 
I really liked Excadrill so I'm glad Iris had it. It was also a nice change of pace to have the main girls first pokemon already evolved when we meet her. Remember Axew wasn't her first pokemon but Drilbur was.
 
I really liked Excadrill so I'm glad Iris had it. It was also a nice change of pace to have the main girls first pokemon already evolved when we meet her. Remember Axew wasn't her first pokemon but Drilbur was.
It clashes with her Dragon Trainer title, which means she probably doesn't use much anymore. Though it is interesting to see a trainer pick which types she wants to specialise in, AFTER already getting their first Pokémon of a different type.
 
It clashes with her Dragon Trainer title, which means she probably doesn't use much anymore. Though it is interesting to see a trainer pick which types she wants to specialise in, AFTER already getting their first Pokémon of a different type.
Trainers can still use any type of pokemon they want. They don't have to stick to only their preferred type.
 
Back
Top Bottom